JAGARAN CHAKMA

For years, Bangladesh’s cable industry was seen as one of the prized children of the growing economy, bolstered by rapid urbanisation, power and telecom coverage expansion, and massive development projects.

Over the last year, that expectation has been dampened by a large margin, with major players reporting up to a 30 percent demand slump.

According to them, the slowdown is owed to cancelled or delayed government projects, weaker private investment, and a banking squeeze that has disrupted raw material imports.

“The industry is grappling with multiple challenges due to the overall downturn in economic activities since the regime change,” said Rafiqul Islam Rony, head of marketing and sales at BRB Cable.

“Government purchases, one of the sector’s key demand drivers, have been suspended for months, leaving a direct impact,” he noted.

“Cables are primarily used in housing and infrastructure projects. But with real estate slowing and government construction stalled, demand has fallen sharply,” Rony said. “People simply aren’t in a financial position to buy apartments. Developers have scaled back, and that has had a knock-on effect on cable demand.”

Rony estimated BRB’s sales have dropped by at least 25 percent year-on-year.